


Under the Weeping Willow Tree

by BardEater



Category: Identity V Stage - Suehara & Tanaka & Yamada, 第五人格 | Identity V (Video Game), 第五人格 | Identity V (Video Game) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Moth - Freeform, moth au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:02:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29836431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BardEater/pseuds/BardEater
Summary: After a large scale war breaks out, the country is divided amongst the moths. Will a small Lunar Moth sent down from the heavens be safe around a war stricken land?
Relationships: Aesop Carl | Embalmer/Eli Clark | Seer, Aesop Carl | Embalmer/Joseph Desaulnier | Photographer, Kevin Alonso | Cowboy/Jose Baden | First Officer/Demi Bourbon | Barmaid, Norton Campbell | Prospector/Naib Subedar | Mercenary
Kudos: 4
Collections: Identity V





	Under the Weeping Willow Tree

_He was afraid. Terrified, even._

_Running through the woods, the tiny moth stumbled, tripping over large wings that wouldn't work no matter how hard he had tried. He had been running for hours, maybe even days, away from the much larger creatures. They looked like him, but didn't have wings, running after him with guns and nets. It wasn't fair. He didn't even want to be there. But now? He was. He was thrown right in the middle of something he didn't even understand._

_All because his gods told him he would bring peace to this world._

_He finally tripped, hitting his head against a rather large rock, gasping before he passed out._

* * *

The moth woke, to find himself in a large cage on the back of a wagon, whoever captured him talking loudly to someone else. They were laughing, almost singing to one another. He didn't understand what was happening, but he looked around anyways. There were others just like him, but they looked slightly different. Different types of moths surrounded him, looking worn and beat up, probably from running. He understood, his tiny little wings buzzing gently, afraid of what was to come. His extremely long, silver hair hit right above his butt, fingers messing with the ends of it. He didn't want to be there. _Why was he there?_

The wagon came to a stop, the men in front getting out and jostling the wagon around. It took a few minutes of absolute silence before the back opened up, bright sunlight hitting the moths. Most of them were trembling, save for a rather large tanned poodle moth, the scar across his nose looking almost like war paint. He was holding onto two smaller moths, growling at the human men in front of them. The two humans just laughed, grabbing the cage up first.

"You think you scare us?" The larger man asked, his scruffy looking beard catching rays of sunlight, making them bounce into the silver haired moth's eyes, blinding him for a moment. "You're about as scary as a house cat." He grabbed the cage up, rattling it around to make the moth inside of it fall over. It was a pretty large cage, the creatures inside being at most 5 feet tall. So this man was _huge._ Which made the silver haired moth start to tremble. He himself was around 4 feet tall, give or take a few inches. He stared in horror as the other moths in the cage, a man and a woman, started to cry. The other male moth looked to be a Comet Moth, the female being a Rosy Maple Moth. Which was weird. Those species shouldn't even be near each other, let alone in the same place with one another. They lived in different climates, but... Here they were. And all three looked to be attached to one another.

Everything was so confusing, but he didn't have time to thing things over. His cage was next, another man who came from out of nowhere picking it up, throwing it over his shoulder. He started towards a large building, they silver haired moth panicking just a bit at he was thrown around the small cage. His little body was bruised already, a black eye threatening to form against his pale white skin. He was too afraid to speak, his wings trembling, making a tiny buzzing noise. He was carried into the building, into a separate room, and quite literally thrown inside. There, the cage broke open, the man spilling out against the floor. He was cut up and bruised, his grey and blue robes bunching up around him. He sat up, rubbing his head, looking around.

The room he was in was dark, damp, and smelled of mold. The posters plastered against the walls advertised moth auctions. _Moth Auctions...? Oh no..._ He was now, genuinely panicking. This is where rare species of moths were taken to die, to be sent off to humans for their own pleasure, as play things. Not a place for a moth sent from the heavens to end up.

He scrambled up towards the door, trying the handle of it a few times before finally giving in that it was locked. He looked around again, his long, curly silver hair hiding most of his deformed wings. Which wasn't natural for a moth like him. It didn't even _look_ like he had wings from the way his hair was sitting. His almost black eyes looked tired and dead, not a thing going on within them. Which made it that much easier to hide his feelings and thoughts from others. He was unnaturally thin, his face sunken in at the cheeks and eyes. But he looked like a product of where he came from; ethereal.

He was off in his own little world, jumping as the door opened, the man with the scruffy looking beard standing on the other side of the door. He stood at possibly 7 feet tall, gloved hands reaching out for him. He had a thick accent, almost southern. "Now... You can either come willingly, or I can snap those pretty little wings of yours off and sell them off instead. Your choice, little moth." 

His fight or flight kicked in, staring right between his legs, bolting quicker than the bigger man could catch him. He went right in between his legs, slipping out of the room and down a very unfamiliar hallway. He didn't know where he was, or how to get out. He just knew that he had to get out. So, he ran straight down the hallway, turning a corner quickly. He made it a few feet down the corner before bumping head first into a rather tall, skinny man. His hair fell in ringlets across one shoulder, pulled back into a neat ponytail. His eyes were a golden yellow, like wheat, his tailcoat a nice dusty grey colour. They stared at each other for a moment, before the larger man rounded the corner, grabbing the little moth up in his arms. 

"Excuse me, Mister Desaulnier." He mumbled out, growling down at the moth in his arms. "Don't mind this little bastard. I'll show him a thing or two about trying to escape. You here for another moth? What happened to your last one?"

_Last one...?_

The man in question, this Mister Desaulnier, simply waved his hand, scoffing at the much taller man in front of him, stepping forward. "It was useless, Percy." Was all he said, French accent carried off in the stale air between them. He eyed the tiny moth, then the large man, walking off in the opposite direction. He seemed not to care about the new fate of the small creature, or masked it very well. He didn't even look back, just pulled at a door, walking through it, leaving the two behind.

A few moments went past, the two left just standing there, before the moth was hauled up into the human's arms. He growled into the smaller man's ear, a scowl painted across his face. "That was very dumb of you to do, idiot. He could have saved you from this place, you know. And now? He probably doesn't even want you. How does that make you feel?" He stared at him, growling lowly like a dog, before taking him back to the room he was originally in, throwing him in and locking the door behind him before he left.

* * *

It didn't take long for the auction to end, most of the moths going to dead beats and possible alcoholics. The three moths from the wagon going to the Frenchman from before. Not that it really mattered. The silver haired moth looked beaten down, new bruises covering his body as he was pushed onto the stage. The same large man walked up on stage with him. Percy, was it? Ah yes, Percy. Percy slowly grabbed one of his wings, pulling it out roughly for the crowd to see.

"Lunar Moth. Very very rare. We start the bid off at 1,000 Lumier."

A man from the back corner raised his hand.

"Do we have 1,500?"

Another raised her hand, smirking in the pale moonlight that lit up above her, a small, blond curly haired Silver Spotted Ghost Moth sitting on her lap, looking well taken care of. Another of the rarer species.

"How about 2,000?"

It ended up going on like this for maybe an hour, before slowing down at 50,000 Lumier.

"How about... 50,000 and I'll throw in something nice for the winner?"

No one raised a hand. It took Percy a moment to take a scope of the room, everyone content with their bids. The woman had the highest bid, the moth on her lap buzzing around excitedly. 

"Going once... Twice..."

"I can do a million."

Gasps rang out as eyes turned to the very familiar voice, landing on Joseph. Why was everyone so surprised about this? Wasn't he some big spender with moths? That's what the silver haired moth could gather from the amount he had already spent. But he guessed that no one thought he would spend _that much_ on a singular moth. No one else dared to raise a hand, the moth on stage being yanked towards the man and his three moths. They stared at the new addition, the bigger moth standing in front of his two companions.

"Are you sure you want to spend that on this thing?" Percy pulled the Lunar Moth forward, roughly, growling loudly. "I don't think it's even worth it, in my opinion. It's caused so much trouble tonight that I didn't think you would go for it."

Joseph shrugged, gently taking the moth away from the other man. "Well... I like the way he looks. So... Different... Than the others I have seen. Unique." He pulled the tiny moth towards him gently, stroking his hair. When the moth reeled back, he chuckled quietly. "Perfect for my collection."

The auctioneer nodded, shrugging as he walked away with a very hefty sack of what looked to be glowing blue pieces. Not his business anymore. Joseph took the time to look over his new prize, lifting one of those wings. "Lunar Moth... The Goddess's moths... I wonder what you are doing down here, if not aiding with whatever your goddess needs, little moth." He stood up, beckoning for the four to follow him. "I've already gotten the three other's names. Mated group. Now... What might your name be, little oracle moth?" He said all of this without looking back, leading them outside and to a carriage. It was plastered in gold and silver, with grey and black speckles covering the wood. He got in, holding out a hand for his new pets. The three from before climbed in first, the silver haired Lunar Moth climbing in last. "Well? I asked you a question, Oracle."

"O-Oh..." His accent was that of Greek decent, with a bit of a British overtone to it. "Aesop. My name is Aesop Carl." He fidgeted with the hem of his now bloodied and basically destroyed robes, the moons and stars ripped apart. He looked like a sad mess in comparison to his new captor. He looked around again, trying to focus on one thing, not being able to. So much was going on all at once, that he didn't even notice the gasps that accompanied Joseph taking his coat off. He looked back over, eyes widening at what the commotion was about. As they drove out of the auction house lot, the bigger man was comfortable enough to take his coat off.

Only to reveal the large spotted wings of a Giant Leopard Moth.


End file.
